Making headlines today is the news on Kedah government's decision to increase the number of words, which non-muslim are NOT ALLOWED to use, from 24 to 55.
The 55 words are: Masjid, Surau, Mussala, Musabaqah, Zakat Fitrah、Ulama, Syariah、Akhirat, Baitullah, Allah, Firman Allah, Hadis, Kaabah, Kadi, Ibadah, Wali, Azan, As-sunnah, Mubaligh, Qibiat, Haji, Hajjah, Mufti, Rasul, Quran, Sheikh, Karamah, Tabligh Aulia' Solat, Khalifah, Khutbah, Fatwa Iman Dakwah, Nabi, Shahadah, Lillahi, Wahyu, Subhanallah, Allahu akbar, Walillahihamd, Alhamulilah, Insyaallah, Wallahi, Lailahaillallah, Masyaallah, Wabillahi, Watallahi, Assalamualaikum, Auzubillahi, Astagfirullahal azim, Aahaula walaquata Illabillahilaiyil azim. (By listing them out, does this mean I should be prosecuted under the sedition act now?)
Apparently 24 out of the 55 were already taboo since 1988! Even more shockingly, we are still being taught to use those words! Yes, it's in our text book, it's in the street names, it's everywhere we go!
Does this mean that when a non-muslim is being asked what is a "that" (a certain person points to a mosque), non-muslim are ALLOWED to use 'descriptive words' such as "a big onion-building where muslim prays"? Wouldn't that be far more offensive than just using the word "Masjid"?
At this day and age, where racial harmony SHOULD be promoted in the country to encourage the understanding of each other's culture instead of widening the racial divide, I can't believe that the government would move to do something that is so downright stupid!
I studied in a Malay school when I was young, and it was THE BEST schooling experience I've ever had! In a class where there are only four Chinese students, my Malay classmates were very helpful and taught us a lot about their religion. The way how certain Malay words (like Assalamualaikum, Insyaallah, etc.) work, and taught us how to use them as well. We learn about their culture, they learn about our believes; the Ustaz sometimes allowed us to sit in his Agama classes when our Moral Studies teacher doesn't show up, which is almost every class. The Ustaz gave us the chance to learn even more about the religion and to us, it was an amazing experience that (I believe) not many non-muslims would get the chance to experience.
Although I'm a non-muslim, to this day, I still using phrases like: "Ya Allah", "Insyaallah", and "Astagfirullahal azim". To my "non-muslim" friends, they felt that it's kinda cool that I know those words and would sometimes ask me what those words meant, like how I used to ask my Malay friends in school. To me, that's a great way for others to learn more about another culture and I see no harm in it.
Our government is constantly saying that our country is slowly being "Westernized" and yet, nothing is done to 'encourage' racial harmony. If we are 'encouraged' to use those words instead of limiting it to just a certain crowd, maybe some day in the future when someone sneezes, our children might be uttering phases like "Astagfirullahal azim" instead of the common "God bless".
Thursday, November 20, 2014
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Malaysia Taxi Scare
So the Malaysian authorities are claiming that our "licensed taxis" are the safest? Here's what happened to me today...
I got on a cab from 1U this morning wanting to head to Sunway Giza for my doctor's appointment. As the cabs there are all queue based, I hopped on the next available cab when my turn comes.
The cab started to drive off the minute I got in, and I told the driver I wanted to go to Sunway Giza. The uncle turned around and asked me, "Which part of Sunway Giza?" to which I said "Giza Mall", since it's the closest to my doctor's office.
The he then turn to me and asked, "where is that?", which at this point I thought that this going to be another one of those drivers who wanted to make a detour. "The one near Kota Damansara?" Then the driver told me, "15 Ringgit."
"Excuse me?"
"The traffic there very jam right now. If you want to go there, RM15."
"Then it's fine. Just stop here and I'll get another cab." In an aggravated tone, the driver yelled at me, "No! You wanna go there then it's RM15!"
At this point, I said to him sternly, "Stop the car. I want to get out." The driver pretended that he didn't hear me and continued to drive. When I repeated myself, he continued to ignore me.
While the vehicle was moving, I opened the car door, and it was then that I got his attention. He ACCELERATED and told me in a pissed tone, "Ok ok ok, go by meter" and when I close the door, he had the central lock on. Probably to ensure I can't open the door again?
He then started speeding (since there wasn't any jam at all along the way, unlike what he predicted), and was cursing all along the way, mumbling that I was "lansi", that I could afford to take a cab but not willing to pay a measly RM15. I was really scared for my life. Part of me wanted to tell him to stop, but I'm also worried that if I ask him to stop again, he might pull another crazy stunt like accelerating even faster and kill of us, or hit me with a bat, or some shit like that. The calm side of me tells me that we're just less than 5 minutes away from my doctor's office, and I took out my phone, ready to call for help.
When we were around Pelangi Condominium, the driver suddenly stopped mumbling and shouted at me, "Where? How to go? You so clever, you show me the way."
I took a deep breathe and asked him to go straight, and immediately after the traffic light to turn to Palm Spring Damansara, I asked him to turn right to where the office blocks are instead of going further to where the mall is. The driver continued to mumble as he drove.
As we turned into the office area, I told him the mall is at the far end and I want to get off right where we are, and even told him (as though he really don't know the way) that it's easier for him to make a U-turn to get out of the area.
Thank all the forces at work for helping, the driver stopped without arguing, i gave him an exact fare, the minute I heard the central lock unlocks, I quickly got out of the car and dashed towards civilization.
Fuck all you fuckers who said that "only licensed taxis are save"!!!
FUCK YOU!!!!
I got on a cab from 1U this morning wanting to head to Sunway Giza for my doctor's appointment. As the cabs there are all queue based, I hopped on the next available cab when my turn comes.
The cab started to drive off the minute I got in, and I told the driver I wanted to go to Sunway Giza. The uncle turned around and asked me, "Which part of Sunway Giza?" to which I said "Giza Mall", since it's the closest to my doctor's office.
The he then turn to me and asked, "where is that?", which at this point I thought that this going to be another one of those drivers who wanted to make a detour. "The one near Kota Damansara?" Then the driver told me, "15 Ringgit."
"Excuse me?"
"The traffic there very jam right now. If you want to go there, RM15."
"Then it's fine. Just stop here and I'll get another cab." In an aggravated tone, the driver yelled at me, "No! You wanna go there then it's RM15!"
At this point, I said to him sternly, "Stop the car. I want to get out." The driver pretended that he didn't hear me and continued to drive. When I repeated myself, he continued to ignore me.
While the vehicle was moving, I opened the car door, and it was then that I got his attention. He ACCELERATED and told me in a pissed tone, "Ok ok ok, go by meter" and when I close the door, he had the central lock on. Probably to ensure I can't open the door again?
He then started speeding (since there wasn't any jam at all along the way, unlike what he predicted), and was cursing all along the way, mumbling that I was "lansi", that I could afford to take a cab but not willing to pay a measly RM15. I was really scared for my life. Part of me wanted to tell him to stop, but I'm also worried that if I ask him to stop again, he might pull another crazy stunt like accelerating even faster and kill of us, or hit me with a bat, or some shit like that. The calm side of me tells me that we're just less than 5 minutes away from my doctor's office, and I took out my phone, ready to call for help.
When we were around Pelangi Condominium, the driver suddenly stopped mumbling and shouted at me, "Where? How to go? You so clever, you show me the way."
I took a deep breathe and asked him to go straight, and immediately after the traffic light to turn to Palm Spring Damansara, I asked him to turn right to where the office blocks are instead of going further to where the mall is. The driver continued to mumble as he drove.
As we turned into the office area, I told him the mall is at the far end and I want to get off right where we are, and even told him (as though he really don't know the way) that it's easier for him to make a U-turn to get out of the area.
Thank all the forces at work for helping, the driver stopped without arguing, i gave him an exact fare, the minute I heard the central lock unlocks, I quickly got out of the car and dashed towards civilization.
Fuck all you fuckers who said that "only licensed taxis are save"!!!
FUCK YOU!!!!
Thursday, June 26, 2014
Forgive & Forget
My mom tells me that I should forgive and forget. "I might be able to forgive but I will never forget," I replied.
How do you forget someone who physically assault your mother, your brother and yourself when you were young? Or the time he slapped you and you fell off a stool even though you did nothing wrong, and the reason he hit you was because you shouldn't be left "left out" when your brother is being disciplined for something he done wrong?
How about the time he hit your mother until she knocked herself on a cupboard, fainted, while he casually walked out of the house to have a cigarette, leaving you and your younger brother who were still in primary school at home with her unresponsive body and thinking that she was dead?
Maybe my memory could be wrong since those incidents happened so long ago when I was young...
When I graduated from middle school, I was told to get a job because he is planning keeping all his savings for my younger brother "in case he wanted to go to college with his friends". Or the time I was asked to leave the house because if I wanted to study, I should go find a way myself.
Ok, so maybe I could still be wrong, and some of your might consider it sibling envy...
Flash forward to the present: How about the time he accused you and your mother of plotting to steal his mother's inheritance while she's still alive, and lifted a wooden stool trying to whack you with it because you hold proof that one of his family member had already stole all the money in his mother's saving instead?
Or the Chinese New Year where he tells you that his ONLY SON is living overseas and there are "no other relatives" he can depend on in Malaysia other than his sister and asked you to "stay out" and "stop meddling" with his "family affairs"?
Call me ungrateful or vengeful if you like but after all these years, I really don't believe in "forgive and forget", and I guess I never will.
Sunday, June 08, 2014
X-Rants: Pos-X-ibilities
So Mystique was supposed to assassinate Senator Kelly in the original storyline but since Bryan Singer killed Senator Kelly off in "X-Men" -- transformed into a mutant by Magneto and turned into a pile of slime in front of Storm --- the person Mystique is supposed to assassinate is replaced by Bolivar Trask. I know Trask appeared in "The Last Stand" but like I said in my earlier post, the damage done by Brett Ratner is not part of this timeline so... forget Bill Duke. Anyway, as most fans would have already known, whilst creating the Sentinels, Trask also created Master Mold, the only Sentinel with the ability to speak. With the introduction of Trask and those anorexic super-Sentinels, perhaps Bryan Singer might be doing one with an anorexic Master Mold in the future?
"Captain America: The Winter Soilder
Those of you saw the end credits to "Captain America: The Winter Soilders" would have already seen Quicksilver and his twin sister (Wanda/Scarlet Witch), which both are set to appear in next year's "Avengers: Age of Ultron".
In "Days of Future Past", Quicksilver made a quick less-than-15-minutes appearance. (Known in the movie as Peter Maximoff.) While rescuing Magneto from prison, Peter mentioned that his mother "used to know" someone who has the same abilities, little did he know that Magneto actually is his father. I really love to see how future movies are going to deal with this, since rights to "Avengers" and "X-Men" are currently being held by different studios and Quicksilver is played by different actors. Also, now that Bryan Singer has set such a high standard for the character (which is already gaining praises and a growing fan base), one could only hope that Joss Whedon does the character justice or he's gonna get badly trashed.
"Days of Future Past"
In the "Days of Future Past", Peter was shown sitting with a little girl, while they watch Magneto wreck the White House on TV and almost killing Nixon. Now, we all know that the girl couldn't possibly be Wanda because she is supposed to be his twin. Could she be some random kid, or is the girl Bryan Singer's idea of introducing an alternate Wanda?
Havok, who was first featured in "First Class", returns in a scene where Mystique rescues a group of mutants from a military camp, which was shown in "Days of Future Past" as well as the post-credit scene in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2".
Havok in "Days of Future Past"
Who is Havok? His name is Alexander Summers. He is also the younger brother of Scott Summers (Cyclops). As the rescue scene in "First Class" and "Days of Future Past" was set in the 70s and Cyclops doesn't come along for at least another 20 years, let's hope that they don't try to turn Havok into his father. However, if this character were to be adapted as Cyclops' elder brother instead then that would be a whole different ball game. With two out of three of the Summers brothers introduced, this will open up possibilities for a spin-off storyline on the Shi'ar Empire, which would play out very well should Bryan Singer decided to tell the accurate version of the "Phoenix Saga". (Again, not the load of crap Brett Ratner fed us in "The Last Stand".)
Blink in "Days of Future Past"
Blink, who should be playing a major role in "Age of Apocalypse", is also introduced in "Days of Future Past". (I say "should" cause for all we know Bryan Singer might replace her character's story with Wolverine again and make the "Age of Apocalypse" another Wolverine-centered movie!) Apart from the Apocalypse arc, Blink also has a role to play in the "Phalanx Covenant". With actress Fan Bing Bing's five-movie deal with the studio, return of Havok and Cyclops revived, looks like there might be a high chance that the "Phalanx Covenant" will be adapted for the big screen. Of course, that would also mean a high possibility for the return of the Phoenix! If we will be seeing more of the Phoenix, does this mean that Bryan Singer will retell the "Phoenix Saga" now that he has given a middle finger to "The Last Stand"? (Yes, I know the possibility of them retelling the "Phoenix Saga" is super slim but I just can't let this go! It really sucks to see the whole Phoenix arc getting screwed over by Ratner and gang!)
"Day of Future Past" Post credit scene
At the end of the movie, we see that a pyramid, which supposedly holds the Lazarus Chamber, is being built by En Sabah Nur (you can hear his name being chanted by the worshipers) and the four horsemen of Apocalypse is shown at a distance. In the comics and animated series, we know that the horsemen are mutants Apocalypse "recuits" to serve him. A few notable horsemen include Angel (Warren Worthington), Mr. Sinister, Cyclops and even Wolverine! Will Bryan Singer put Wolverine up to the task again? Since he can regenerate and regain his memories at the end of the battle and all that shit. (~*roll eyes*~) Or will Mr. Sinister be introduced as one of the horsemen?
Everything is doned with a fresh start after the events in "Days of Future Past" and I guess it's safe to say that things are finally back to "normal" after the damage done by Ratner and gang were undone. Jean Grey and Cyclops are back together, Kelsey Grammer is blue again, and Kitty Pryde is hinted to be together with Colossus, instead of having another 'X-Men On Ice' moment with Bobby Drake. With Channing Tatum recently cast as Gambit and the Four Horsemen introduced, does this mean that we're finally going to see the death of Iceman and Gambit could finally get together with Rogue?! OMFG, yay!!!!
The one and only shot with Rogue in "Days of Future Past"
Speaking of Rogue, Anna Paquin's name was shown in the end credits but Rogue was nowhere to be seen throughout the movie. Apparently her scenes were snipped to ease the flow but you could still catch a glimpse of her in a shot towards the end of the movie getting together with Bobby Drake. Well, let's just say that she's like Winona Ryder in "Star Trek", only with lesser screen time.
"Captain America: The Winter Soilder
Those of you saw the end credits to "Captain America: The Winter Soilders" would have already seen Quicksilver and his twin sister (Wanda/Scarlet Witch), which both are set to appear in next year's "Avengers: Age of Ultron".
In "Days of Future Past", Quicksilver made a quick less-than-15-minutes appearance. (Known in the movie as Peter Maximoff.) While rescuing Magneto from prison, Peter mentioned that his mother "used to know" someone who has the same abilities, little did he know that Magneto actually is his father. I really love to see how future movies are going to deal with this, since rights to "Avengers" and "X-Men" are currently being held by different studios and Quicksilver is played by different actors. Also, now that Bryan Singer has set such a high standard for the character (which is already gaining praises and a growing fan base), one could only hope that Joss Whedon does the character justice or he's gonna get badly trashed.
"Days of Future Past"
In the "Days of Future Past", Peter was shown sitting with a little girl, while they watch Magneto wreck the White House on TV and almost killing Nixon. Now, we all know that the girl couldn't possibly be Wanda because she is supposed to be his twin. Could she be some random kid, or is the girl Bryan Singer's idea of introducing an alternate Wanda?
Havok, who was first featured in "First Class", returns in a scene where Mystique rescues a group of mutants from a military camp, which was shown in "Days of Future Past" as well as the post-credit scene in "The Amazing Spider-Man 2".
Havok in "Days of Future Past"
Who is Havok? His name is Alexander Summers. He is also the younger brother of Scott Summers (Cyclops). As the rescue scene in "First Class" and "Days of Future Past" was set in the 70s and Cyclops doesn't come along for at least another 20 years, let's hope that they don't try to turn Havok into his father. However, if this character were to be adapted as Cyclops' elder brother instead then that would be a whole different ball game. With two out of three of the Summers brothers introduced, this will open up possibilities for a spin-off storyline on the Shi'ar Empire, which would play out very well should Bryan Singer decided to tell the accurate version of the "Phoenix Saga". (Again, not the load of crap Brett Ratner fed us in "The Last Stand".)
Blink in "Days of Future Past"
Blink, who should be playing a major role in "Age of Apocalypse", is also introduced in "Days of Future Past". (I say "should" cause for all we know Bryan Singer might replace her character's story with Wolverine again and make the "Age of Apocalypse" another Wolverine-centered movie!) Apart from the Apocalypse arc, Blink also has a role to play in the "Phalanx Covenant". With actress Fan Bing Bing's five-movie deal with the studio, return of Havok and Cyclops revived, looks like there might be a high chance that the "Phalanx Covenant" will be adapted for the big screen. Of course, that would also mean a high possibility for the return of the Phoenix! If we will be seeing more of the Phoenix, does this mean that Bryan Singer will retell the "Phoenix Saga" now that he has given a middle finger to "The Last Stand"? (Yes, I know the possibility of them retelling the "Phoenix Saga" is super slim but I just can't let this go! It really sucks to see the whole Phoenix arc getting screwed over by Ratner and gang!)
"Day of Future Past" Post credit scene
At the end of the movie, we see that a pyramid, which supposedly holds the Lazarus Chamber, is being built by En Sabah Nur (you can hear his name being chanted by the worshipers) and the four horsemen of Apocalypse is shown at a distance. In the comics and animated series, we know that the horsemen are mutants Apocalypse "recuits" to serve him. A few notable horsemen include Angel (Warren Worthington), Mr. Sinister, Cyclops and even Wolverine! Will Bryan Singer put Wolverine up to the task again? Since he can regenerate and regain his memories at the end of the battle and all that shit. (~*roll eyes*~) Or will Mr. Sinister be introduced as one of the horsemen?
Everything is doned with a fresh start after the events in "Days of Future Past" and I guess it's safe to say that things are finally back to "normal" after the damage done by Ratner and gang were undone. Jean Grey and Cyclops are back together, Kelsey Grammer is blue again, and Kitty Pryde is hinted to be together with Colossus, instead of having another 'X-Men On Ice' moment with Bobby Drake. With Channing Tatum recently cast as Gambit and the Four Horsemen introduced, does this mean that we're finally going to see the death of Iceman and Gambit could finally get together with Rogue?! OMFG, yay!!!!
The one and only shot with Rogue in "Days of Future Past"
Speaking of Rogue, Anna Paquin's name was shown in the end credits but Rogue was nowhere to be seen throughout the movie. Apparently her scenes were snipped to ease the flow but you could still catch a glimpse of her in a shot towards the end of the movie getting together with Bobby Drake. Well, let's just say that she's like Winona Ryder in "Star Trek", only with lesser screen time.
Wednesday, June 04, 2014
X-Rants: Disasstisfa-X-tion
It's the mutant version of "Avengers", where Wolverine joins the X-Men to save the world, while a bunch of unknown mutants (and Storm) get squashed by a bunch of anorexic Sentinels!
I can also understand why all comic book fans are cheering because Bryan Singer really gave a huge FUCK-YOU to those who screwed up the "Phoenix Saga", wiped everything clean and start over again.
So forget what you saw in "The Last Stand" and think of it as the movie chronology to be: "X-Men", "X2", "First Class", then "Days of Future Past".
(Spoilers ahead. You've been warned. Read at your own risk!)
The "Days of Future Past" supposedly tells the story of a dark future where the X-Men has fallen, the Sentinels has taken over and Showdowcat (better known as Kitty Pryde when she was young) is sent back to the past by Rachel Summers to prevent Mystique from assassinating Senator Robert Kelly and change the existing future.
Who is Rachel Summers? She is the daughter of Jean Grey and Scott Summers (Cyclops), who possesses the ability to manipulate time and temporarily transport a person's mind through time into a younger/older version/descendant/etc of themselves.
Rachel Summers
Now, considering Kitty Pryde was still a teenager when her character was introduced into the movie franchise, sending her back in time would, well, turn her into a sperm (or sort), right? So who should they send? Instead of going for the animated version where Bishop is sent back in time using a time machine, Bryan Singer decided to send his favorite X-Men, Wolverine, back! But just to pay homage to the alternate version, they decided to dump Bishop in the movie just for the heck of it! (I'm sure a lot of those moviegoers are probably wondering who the fuck is Bishop by now.)
Bishop
Since the movie is set in a future where Rachel doesn't exist, (and it's also easier to use a ready-have character than to introduce a new one), who do they use to replace Rachel? Kitty Pryde! But hang on a sec, Kitty Pryde only has the ability to phase in the first two X-Men movies. How and where did she get the ability to chronoskim another X-Men back into the past? Well, I bet the audience don't know and didn't care much because, let's admit it, Wolverine sells! That's all that matters, right?
But just to avoid making "Days of Future Past" look too much like a Wolverine-centered movie, they decided to throw in a few other mutants whose name the audiences probably wouldn't even know/remember and wouldn't even care even if they got killed by the Sentinels! (Yay~!)
It was at that point, (well, actually shortly after I saw Hugh Jackman's butt) that I stop caring and don't give two hoots anymore.
Ok, so how does the timeline works? If you noticed, no exact timeline was really given. In "X-Men", it was said the events took place in the "not too distant future". In "Days of Future Past" when Wolverine wanted to make the 'jump', it was mentioned that he's going back "50 years". Since "First Class" was set in the 60s(?), Magneto is still being held when Wolverine jumps back and Nixon is still the president, so we can safely say that the past is set somewhere around 1969 to 1974. I understand the need to push the past further from the original storyline, since they wanted to align the story with the events that happened in "First Class" but why does the future looks so far ahead?
Anorexic Sentinels?! Seriously!?!
What ticks me off the most (other than the Wolverine-centered theme) was how Xavier looks like he hasn't aged a day!!! Is he on botox or some shit like that?! I mean, heck, he looked much older when Wolverine jumped back to the future at the end of the movie, how the fuck did he managed to look so young in the screwed-up future?! Do they have like some energy drink that doesn't exist if the Sentinels weren't created?! If he's using it, why the fuck isn't he sharing it with Magneto?! The guy looked like he could really use some!
(To be continued...)
I can also understand why all comic book fans are cheering because Bryan Singer really gave a huge FUCK-YOU to those who screwed up the "Phoenix Saga", wiped everything clean and start over again.
So forget what you saw in "The Last Stand" and think of it as the movie chronology to be: "X-Men", "X2", "First Class", then "Days of Future Past".
(Spoilers ahead. You've been warned. Read at your own risk!)
The "Days of Future Past" supposedly tells the story of a dark future where the X-Men has fallen, the Sentinels has taken over and Showdowcat (better known as Kitty Pryde when she was young) is sent back to the past by Rachel Summers to prevent Mystique from assassinating Senator Robert Kelly and change the existing future.
Who is Rachel Summers? She is the daughter of Jean Grey and Scott Summers (Cyclops), who possesses the ability to manipulate time and temporarily transport a person's mind through time into a younger/older version/descendant/etc of themselves.
Rachel Summers
Now, considering Kitty Pryde was still a teenager when her character was introduced into the movie franchise, sending her back in time would, well, turn her into a sperm (or sort), right? So who should they send? Instead of going for the animated version where Bishop is sent back in time using a time machine, Bryan Singer decided to send his favorite X-Men, Wolverine, back! But just to pay homage to the alternate version, they decided to dump Bishop in the movie just for the heck of it! (I'm sure a lot of those moviegoers are probably wondering who the fuck is Bishop by now.)
Bishop
Since the movie is set in a future where Rachel doesn't exist, (and it's also easier to use a ready-have character than to introduce a new one), who do they use to replace Rachel? Kitty Pryde! But hang on a sec, Kitty Pryde only has the ability to phase in the first two X-Men movies. How and where did she get the ability to chronoskim another X-Men back into the past? Well, I bet the audience don't know and didn't care much because, let's admit it, Wolverine sells! That's all that matters, right?
But just to avoid making "Days of Future Past" look too much like a Wolverine-centered movie, they decided to throw in a few other mutants whose name the audiences probably wouldn't even know/remember and wouldn't even care even if they got killed by the Sentinels! (Yay~!)
It was at that point, (well, actually shortly after I saw Hugh Jackman's butt) that I stop caring and don't give two hoots anymore.
Ok, so how does the timeline works? If you noticed, no exact timeline was really given. In "X-Men", it was said the events took place in the "not too distant future". In "Days of Future Past" when Wolverine wanted to make the 'jump', it was mentioned that he's going back "50 years". Since "First Class" was set in the 60s(?), Magneto is still being held when Wolverine jumps back and Nixon is still the president, so we can safely say that the past is set somewhere around 1969 to 1974. I understand the need to push the past further from the original storyline, since they wanted to align the story with the events that happened in "First Class" but why does the future looks so far ahead?
Anorexic Sentinels?! Seriously!?!
What ticks me off the most (other than the Wolverine-centered theme) was how Xavier looks like he hasn't aged a day!!! Is he on botox or some shit like that?! I mean, heck, he looked much older when Wolverine jumped back to the future at the end of the movie, how the fuck did he managed to look so young in the screwed-up future?! Do they have like some energy drink that doesn't exist if the Sentinels weren't created?! If he's using it, why the fuck isn't he sharing it with Magneto?! The guy looked like he could really use some!
(To be continued...)
Thursday, January 09, 2014
My Malaysia
Back when I was in school. I was proud and happy to be able to learn a lot of "catch phrases" (that soon became my pet phrases) from my Malay friends. Today, it's no longer about being who we are as Malaysians. It's all about racial segregation. We have so many laws and regulations that are restricting us from being the multicultural country that we are, that we could no longer enjoy the best of every colorful races around us.
I came from a Malay dominance kampung, where there are only four Chinese families in the whole taman. I grew up playing with my neighbors who are all Malays. We played in the paddy fields, climbed trees and even played soccer together. When it comes to the festive season, our neighbors would give us kuih raya and we would give them Chinese New Year cookies and cakes that my mom bakes. (This cookie-exchanging tradition still goes on today.) They don't ask us whether it is halal, because we know better than to give them something that is laced with pork-based oil. This is just common sense of respect towards each other.
Of course, kids being kids, there will always be times when we don't get along and fought with our neighbor's kids. That is when the name calling starts and the Malay kids would call us "Cina Babi" (Chinese pigs) and we would call them "Hua-na kao" ('Malay dogs' in hokkien). What got us was a good slap (and sometimes caning) from our parents and we are forced to apologize to each other in our parents' presence. The next day? We forget about our bickering and heads out for another round of soccer.
When I started studying in a Malay school, there were only four Chinese students in our class of 36 and I was the class monitor back then (voted by my Malay classmates). The most memorable thing in school was when me and three other of my Chinese classmates were allowed to sit in an Agama (Malay religious teachings) Class conducted by an old Ustaz. This was made possible because, honestly, the teacher for Morale Studies is CONSTANTLY "absent" (skipping class to be exact). It was then that the Ustaz gave us permission to sit in for his classes and allowed us to ask questions relevant to his class for the day.
I don't know about my other Chinese friends but I find the classes very informative. Whenever we asked a stupid question about the Islamic religion, the Ustaz gave the class a chance to answer our question before he gave us a proper explanation. It was a great learning experience for both us and our Malay classmates. I have to admit that I feel he sort of dumb-down the class down for us every time we join so that we can participate in his teaching for the day, and to be honest, we really enjoyed it! (Maybe it's because we don't have to sit for the exams but still, it was a good experience.)
Our Malay classmates would laugh and picked on our Chinese way of speaking the Malay language from time to time, but after the laughter dies down, they would usually teach us the right way of using/saying certain phrases (that soon became my pet phrases). It was then that they taught us all sort of "catch phrases", which they would use from time to time, so that we could speak better Malay. Arguments and (Sometimes) disagreements with my Malay classmates aside, I was and proud to have such great classmates, who taught us a lot.
To me, the best part of being Malaysians is to be able to be a part of such a great and colorful multiracial country, where we can learn so much from each other and be a part of an understanding community. However, today Malaysia has became a country where certain minority races are being scrutinized for questioning things that they don't understand. Opinions are considered seditious in a supposedly democratic country. Our supposed harmony is constantly divided by certain political parties, which kept on drawing more and more lines as they like to their benefit, to remind us how we are different from each other. A lot of traditional practices and historical places were being scraped in the name of modernization. History books have been rewritten to fit the likings and benefits certain parties.
Today, it's no longer about culture or racial harmony. It's more about who has the power to change and bend the rules to their likings. Where is our country heading to? I'm not sure. All I do know is: We are definitely not moving forward.
I came from a Malay dominance kampung, where there are only four Chinese families in the whole taman. I grew up playing with my neighbors who are all Malays. We played in the paddy fields, climbed trees and even played soccer together. When it comes to the festive season, our neighbors would give us kuih raya and we would give them Chinese New Year cookies and cakes that my mom bakes. (This cookie-exchanging tradition still goes on today.) They don't ask us whether it is halal, because we know better than to give them something that is laced with pork-based oil. This is just common sense of respect towards each other.
Of course, kids being kids, there will always be times when we don't get along and fought with our neighbor's kids. That is when the name calling starts and the Malay kids would call us "Cina Babi" (Chinese pigs) and we would call them "Hua-na kao" ('Malay dogs' in hokkien). What got us was a good slap (and sometimes caning) from our parents and we are forced to apologize to each other in our parents' presence. The next day? We forget about our bickering and heads out for another round of soccer.
When I started studying in a Malay school, there were only four Chinese students in our class of 36 and I was the class monitor back then (voted by my Malay classmates). The most memorable thing in school was when me and three other of my Chinese classmates were allowed to sit in an Agama (Malay religious teachings) Class conducted by an old Ustaz. This was made possible because, honestly, the teacher for Morale Studies is CONSTANTLY "absent" (skipping class to be exact). It was then that the Ustaz gave us permission to sit in for his classes and allowed us to ask questions relevant to his class for the day.
I don't know about my other Chinese friends but I find the classes very informative. Whenever we asked a stupid question about the Islamic religion, the Ustaz gave the class a chance to answer our question before he gave us a proper explanation. It was a great learning experience for both us and our Malay classmates. I have to admit that I feel he sort of dumb-down the class down for us every time we join so that we can participate in his teaching for the day, and to be honest, we really enjoyed it! (Maybe it's because we don't have to sit for the exams but still, it was a good experience.)
Our Malay classmates would laugh and picked on our Chinese way of speaking the Malay language from time to time, but after the laughter dies down, they would usually teach us the right way of using/saying certain phrases (that soon became my pet phrases). It was then that they taught us all sort of "catch phrases", which they would use from time to time, so that we could speak better Malay. Arguments and (Sometimes) disagreements with my Malay classmates aside, I was and proud to have such great classmates, who taught us a lot.
To me, the best part of being Malaysians is to be able to be a part of such a great and colorful multiracial country, where we can learn so much from each other and be a part of an understanding community. However, today Malaysia has became a country where certain minority races are being scrutinized for questioning things that they don't understand. Opinions are considered seditious in a supposedly democratic country. Our supposed harmony is constantly divided by certain political parties, which kept on drawing more and more lines as they like to their benefit, to remind us how we are different from each other. A lot of traditional practices and historical places were being scraped in the name of modernization. History books have been rewritten to fit the likings and benefits certain parties.
Today, it's no longer about culture or racial harmony. It's more about who has the power to change and bend the rules to their likings. Where is our country heading to? I'm not sure. All I do know is: We are definitely not moving forward.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
